Riverbender 🕸

ALTON – ImpactLife is partnering with local blood donors and drive hosts on community blood drives during the week of Aug. 3, 2026. We appreciate the support of local volunteers who step forward as volunteer donors and blood drive coordinators. OSF HealthCare Platelet Drive Monday, August 03, 2026 09:00 am - 04:00 pm 200 Alton Square H1 Alton, IL 62002 https://login.bloodcenter.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/144897 Foster Township Community Monday, August 03, 2026 03:30

CHICAGO – The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), the state’s college access and financial aid agency, announces the 16th annual College Changes Everything® (CCE) Conference on Thursday, July 16, 2026 from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm at the Tinley Park Convention Center. Illinois’ preeminent postsecondary access and success event brings together stakeholders committed to increasing the proportion of adults in the state with high-quality degrees and credentials.

Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs today announced $195,000 in Charitable Trust grants to 10 nonprofit organizations across the state that provide food and housing to people in need. “Through these grants, we are lending a hand to people who are struggling to meet basic needs like food and shelter,” Treasurer Frerichs said at a news conference in Chicago. “We recognize that people are faced with higher housing costs and grocery prices while the federal government is

MITCHELL - Illinois State Police said one person was injured in a two-vehicle crash Friday evening on northbound Illinois 255 near Gateway Commerce in Mitchell, prompting a temporary lane closure during the investigation. The crash happened at about 7:55 p.m. July 10, 2026, in Madison County, according to a preliminary investigation by ISP Troop 8. Police said the crash involved an SUV and a passenger car in the median. One person was taken to a local hospital with injuries, state police said.

JERSEYVILLE – Preparations are set for the 2026 Jersey County Fair Parade , which is expected to draw county-wide residents of all ages to downtown Jerseyville. The parade kicks off at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, starting at the intersection of State Street (U.S. Highway 67) and Carpenter Street (Illinois Route 16) before proceeding down State Street. Attendees can expect to see patriotic parade floats and color schemes at this year’s parade, which carries the Fair Week’s

SOUTH COUNTY ST. LOUIS - Officers from the South County Precinct responded at 7:17 a.m. Monday, July 13, 2026, to a call for service for a motor vehicle crash, according to the St. Louis County Police Department. When officers arrived, they found that an SUV and a motorcycle had been involved in the crash. Preliminary investigation indicates the motorcyclist was traveling northbound on Lemay Ferry Road when he was struck by a vehicle traveling south that was making a left turn into the parkin

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Christopher Belt led a bipartisan effort to provide formerly incarcerated individuals with a second chance to maintain a publicly clean licensing record. The new law allows these individuals to continue serving the people of Illinois as licensed professionals while still providing the state with the flexibility to decide when to issue a license for protection of the public. “This law will help people who, despite their past, want to get out there and

STEELVILLE, MO. - Around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 11, 2026, staff at Huzzah Valley Resort in Steelville, Mo., evacuated more than 150 campground guests after a flash flood warning and record flooding that damaged parts of the property, including the resort store, according to updates posted by team lead Chase Cottrell and the resort. Cottrell said the flooding was unlike anything the resort had previously experienced. “We are seeing record flooding that we have never

EDWARDSVILLE — Local entrepreneur and creative professional Tyler Duty is inviting clients, friends, family, fellow business owners, and community members to celebrate the first anniversary of his business during a special networking and appreciation event on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at EXO Nail Bar in Edwardsville. Over the past year, Duty has built his business through a passion for creativity, innovation, and helping organizations and businesses elevat

ALTON – Seven same-day vehicle break-ins in Alton have yielded felony charges against a Bethalto man also accused of possessing a separate stolen vehicle. Steven C. Jason, 33, of Bethalto, faces seven counts of burglary, each Class 3 felonies, and a Class 2 felony count of unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle. The charges were filed on July 7, 2026 in Madison County court. Five days prior on July 2, Jason allegedly knowingly and without authority entered seven different motor

GRANITE CITY - A 62-year-old man from the Bridgeton, Mo. area died early Saturday, July 11, 2026, after he was electrocuted while working on a malfunctioning transformer during a storm at the U.S. Steel Mill Cold Plant in Granite City, according to Madison County Coroner Nicholas P. Novacich. The man was identified as Mitcheal N. Nelson, 62, of Bridgeton, Mo., 63044. Novacich said Nelson and two other employees were working on a transformer at the plant, 1900 State St., when it malfunctioned durin

BETHALTO - Villa Rose Senior Living Community will celebrate its 41st anniversary this year, and they have plenty planned for residents to enjoy. From July 20–24, 2026, Villa Rose and the Bethalto community will commemorate Villa Rose’s founding in 1985. This unique senior living community offers affordable apartments with supportive services available to older adults. As they gear up for their 41st anniversary, Executive Director Cindy Cannon can’t wait to share the

ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County Police are investigating a homicide after a 43-year-old man was fatally shot Saturday night, July 11, 2026, in the 2100 block of Empire Court, authorities said. The victim was identified as Darren Henderson, 43, of the 2100 block of Empire Court in St. Louis, Missouri 63136, according to the St. Louis County Police Department. Police said officers from the North County Precinct responded at 7:50 p.m. Saturday, July 11, to a call for service for a sick

BELLEVILLE - Illinois State Police said one person was killed and five others were injured in a four-vehicle crash Sunday evening, July 12, 2026, on Illinois 13 south of Red Ray Mine Road. The crash happened at approximately 6:40 p.m. July 12, 2026, according to preliminary information from ISP Troop 8. Police said troopers responded to a report of a fatal four-vehicle crash at that location. One occupant was pronounced dead, and five occupants were taken to local hospitals with injuries, state

CRAWFORD COUNTY, MO. - The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office said that flood-related search efforts in Crawford County, Missouri, ended after volunteer searchers found Faith Gregory dead in Huzzah Creek, about 1.8 miles downstream from her residence. At about 11:30 a.m. Saturday, July 11, 2026, volunteer searchers located Gregory and immediately notified law enforcement personnel assigned to the operation, according to an update from Sheriff Darin J. Layman. Members of the Missouri State

GODFREY — A 31-year-old Alton man was pronounced dead after a single-vehicle crash early Saturday, July 11, 2026, in the 7400 block of Montclair Avenue in Godfrey, where Madison County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a phone crash-detection alert, authorities said. Deputies were dispatched at approximately 3:20 a.m. Saturday, July 11, 2026, and, upon arrival, found a black Jeep Grand Cherokee that had left the roadway and struck a tree, according to the Madison County Sheriff’s

ST. LOUIS - Homicide detectives are investigating a shooting that left a 28-year-old man dead Sunday night, July 12, 2026, in the College Hill neighborhood of St. Louis, authorities said. Officers were called at about 10 p.m. July 12, 2026, to a shooting in the 2000 block of Obear. When they arrived, they found the man shot inside a residence and not conscious or breathing, according to the information released Monday. EMS responded and pronounced the man dead at the scene. Authorities

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul is encouraging service members, veterans and their families to participate in a free webinar to learn how to protect themselves from veteran consumer scams. “During Military Consumer Month, my office is proud to support all who have selflessly served this nation by giving them tools to help to protect themselves from bad actors who take advantage of their military service,” Raoul said. “I encourage current service members, veterans

SPRINGFIELD – With farmers market season underway across Illinois, low-income older adults may be able to get help buying fresh, local produce. The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP), administered jointly by the Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA) and the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), offers income-eligible older adults benefits in the form of paper vouchers or “checks,” which can be used at participating farmers markets and roadside stands

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 15 attorneys general, filed a lawsuit to prevent the U.S. Department of Education from unlawfully terminating congressionally approved school-based mental health grants. Despite a previous court order prohibiting it from discontinuing the grants, the administration plans to renew its efforts to end essential mental health programming at the end of July by terminating the grants. “The Trump administration is onc